I entered the maze and the first thing I noticed was the large amount of rose bushes. Most of them were red except for a few rouge white roses. The second thing I noticed was the size of the maze. The hedges were three times my size with thorny vines throughout them which kept me from climbing them to look where I was going. I'd also been walking for hours and came to multiple dead ends. I tried not to let it get to me but it was frustrating and I felt like I was going in loops. The sky soon got darker and rainy clouds were rolling in fast. It seemed like the days were shorter here. It felt like just a couple of hours ago it was still morning. It makes me question just how long I've been here. Maybe I lost track of time and didn't realize? The pungent smell of rain was getting stronger and I could see flashes of lighting in the distance. I'm doomed if I don't find my way out of here when the storm starts. My stomach was still growling like a bear and I was dehydrated. I doubt the rain would help much other than get me wet and most likely sick with the luck I'm having. I don't know how long it's been but my lack of nourishment has depleted my stamina down to zero. I even cut my hand by leaning on the wall because I had forgotten about the thorns. I walked farther down into the maze getting more and more lost. My feet and head ache from walking all day in the humid heat. Humid heat is so much worse than dry heat because the humidity sticks to you like glue and makes you feel heavy. Well it's gonna rain anyway so hopefully I don't die of a heat stroke till then, but the humidity is gonna get worse. The thickness in the air was already making me slow down enough. After a while I considered climbing the hedges and risking getting a few cuts but they probably wouldnt support my weight and these were the only clothes I had so I didn't want them torn to pieces by the time I got to meet the queen. When I finally found the center of the maze, a beautiful white Ramada sat in the middle next to a pond with a statue of a mermaid playing a harp in the center of the crystal clear water. The exotic fish swam and occasionally jumped out of the water. I smiled at its beauty and climbed the steps to the ramadas porch to look if I could see over the maze walls. Before I could make my way up the steps though I heard a voice. "Hey, you there!" A man yelled "young man, what do you think you're doing?" I quickly located the man marching up to me in a quick flurry of steps. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to find my way through the maze. I was told that the queen could help me get to town. I'm a foreigner so I get lost easily." I told him. The man had white hair and golden eyes. His features were soft and his skin glowed a pearly white. He wore a finely tailored suit with a tail coat. He also had a sword sheathed at the waist. The thing that stood out the most was the long white ears on top of his head. They were much longer than rabbits which means they most likely came from a hare. They looked real and they also twitched under my stare. When I had finally stopped ogling at the ears I noticed he was giving me a stern and apprehensive look. He probably noticed me staring. I could tell he was wary of me because he had his hand on the hilt of his sword like he was ready to attack at any sudden movements. His golden and intimidating stare made me want to look away and despite me never being one for social challenges I found myself wanting to not back down from this one, so I stood my ground. "A foreigner? That's surprising. We haven't gotten one of those in years." He muttered under his breath. I decided it was best to ignore it rather than to question it and give me another headache. His left hand was resting on the hilt of his sword which made me feel antsy. Like he was going to draw it at any minute. "Yes, I've heard it was rare but that should also explain why I need help, so if you could just lead me to—" I was abruptly cut off and he quickly denied my request. "No, sorry lad. The queen requires her advisor immediately and I have no time to escort lost people. That stupid rabbit is late again today so I have to take his place. He owes me at least a million tea parties. Hopefully you can find a guard to take you back." Rabbit? Was he talking about the rabbit man from before? "Well can you at least give me directions?" He gave me an exasperated look and gave me some brief instructions. I tried my best to memorize all the lefts and rights in the directions and hoped I wouldn't get lost. He was also slightly impressed that I had made it halfway without a guide and I preened at the complement. After he gave me a quick farewell and good luck he went quickly on his way. At first it was long and frustrating. I encountered the inevitable dead ends and Some of the instructions were not quite clear but he was in a rush so I tried to understand. I still harbored slight annoyance towards him though. Soon I felt a sprinkle of water but after a couple minutes it quickly turned into a downpour. Now I was cold, hungry, and wet, but at least now I'm not dehydrated…perfect. The mud wasn't too hard to walk through but occasionally I slipped causing me to fall into the mud. So now I'm dirty on top of it all. So much for trying to keep clean. I should have just climbed the hedge if I knew I was going to get dirty anyway. After repeatedly falling and finding dead ends I had finally located two guards. They were standing near the exit of the garden holding giant leaves as umbrellas to shield from the rain. "Stop! Who goes there?!" One of them asked in a loud and rough tone. The one who yelled had brown hair and dark skin and the other had longer brown hair with tanned skin. "I'm Alex. I'm a foreigner looking for directions to a nearby village. The hatter mansion guards brought me to ask the queen for directions but the queen's advisor told me to ask a guard." I told them. They seemed startled when I told them my name by the way they straightened up. "Your Alice? THE Alice?" This Alice person seemed really popular. I felt bad for her cause I would never want to be known in such a crazy place unless maybe I was crazy myself. "No. I'm ALEX not ALICE. Although I do get that a lot nowadays." That seemed to confuse them so I just gave up. I wish they would hurry up or at least give me a leaf! I'm shaking in my boots that are now soaked on the inside and out. "Can someone please show me where the village is? Or at least give me some food cause I've been walking all day lost and starving and honestly it's starting to drive me mad!" They looked at each other, then back to me, and back to each other and nodded as if they just read each other's minds. They started approaching me and I quickly grabbed an arrow and pointed it at them. At times like this I wished I had practiced more in the art of swords but at least I had any experience at all. "Sir, I'm going to need you to come with us." One of the guards said In a stern voice. "the queen would like an audience with you." They continued to approach but I still had yet to lower my guard. "Why would she want to see me?" They stopped to think of how to answer the question. "Because we feel that your arrival needs to be brought to her attention. She can even help you so why don't you put the stick down and come with us. We promise no harm." They sounded convincing enough and I was desperate with nowhere to go. I put the wooden arrow back where it was and tightened the vine around my waist. "Fine but only because I'm desperate, not because you told me to." I wouldn't take orders from a guard unless it was in a dire situation and I think this counts as a dire situation. They both held onto either side of me and led me to the palace gates. They didn't squeeze or shove me but it still put me on edge. We walked past many gardeners and soldiers with different numbers on their backs. I wonder how many numbers were in the castle. I felt their eyes on me as we passed but they made sure not to stare too much and keep busy. The gate came into view as we waited for it to rise. They led me through the gate and through the heavy wooden door. The castle was large and extravagant on the outside but felt even bigger on the inside. I would have to take tips on interior design for the palace back at home. It was marvelous. The red was slightly overbearing but not too much where it was just blood red everywhere. Different shades of red and gold were definitely more prominent colors though. We passed many portraits of what looked like wars and people I hadn't recognized at least until we came up to the last portrait. In the middle was ,from what I can guess, the queen. With pale skin, deep red eyes, and black onyx hair. She sat on her throne in a blood red dress adorned and gold jewelry. A golden crown was placed securely on her head. A glass of wine was dangling in her hand. Her gaze was striking and fearless but she was also beautiful. There have not been many ladies that I would call beautiful but she was undeniably on that list. At the left of her was none other than the Hatter looking as ruggedly handsome as ever. He wore a black suit with his iconic top hat and a cane held in front of him. Why would a portrait of Sir Hatter be in the palace? Maybe he and the queen were related somehow. They did have similar features. Maybe distant cousins? I doubted they were siblings because they looked different somehow. The aura? Maybe. They just didn't feel like siblings. On the right side of the queen was someone who I had no clue might be. She had ebony skin and the whitest hair I've seen since coming here. Her eyes were a very pale gray, and she had a long flowery blue dress that complimented her pale and soft appearance. The tiara on her head was adorned with diamonds and had silver flowers welded throughout it. She held herself tall and proud behind the queen as if saying not to judge her by her fragile appearance. She had a similar aura to the queen. A type of dominance and strength. I hadn't had time to ask about her before we were standing in front of the throne room doors. I prepared myself to enter while the guard with the number 44 on his back knocked on the thick mahogany doors. [Edited 9/22/23]